Injection Molding Designguide 0914 PDF
Injection Molding Designguide 0914 PDF
Injection Molding Designguide 0914 PDF
Design Guide
Design Considerations for Rapid Manufacturing of
Plastic Parts Using Injection Molding
Table of Contents
1
Size Considerations 4
Gating 8
Resin Selection 8
Lead Time 11
Page 2
Low-Volume
Injection Molding
Production
Injection Molding
20 x 20 x 3
36 x 36 x 15
36 x 36 x 15
Standard Injection-Molding
Process Limitations
Standard Injection-Molding
Process Limitations
Part Material
Any commercially
available material
Any commercially
available material
Part Volume
36 in.3
No volume limit
No volume limit
No limit
No limit
No limit
Tolerance Expectations
Tighter tolerances
are possible
Tighter tolerances
are possible
Surface Finish
Any finish,
including acid-etched finish
Any finish,
including acid-etched finish
No
Yes
Yes
CNC-only manufacturing,
aluminum-only
No manufacturing limits,
aluminum and soft steels
No manufacturing limits,
tooling per customer specs
Draft
Lead Time
Page 3
Size Considerations
The Depth Limit is 1.5 for parts where the parting line is on
the edge of the part, and 3 for parts where the parting line is
central to the part.
No volume limit.
No volume limit.
Page 4
Considerations for
Undercuts
Page 5
Rounded Corners
Deep Ribs
The Rapid Injection Molding process uses only high-speed
CNC machining centers to mill out the tooling material.
No special manufacturing methods, such as EDM (electric
discharge machining), wire EDM or grinding, are used to
manufacture the tools.
As a result of the CNC-only approach, deep ribs must be
designed to accommodate this limitation.
Specifically, deep ribs require proper draft (at least 2 degrees
per side) and clearance to allow the CNC machine tool to cut
the root of the rib cavity.
Rule of Thumb: The maximum rib depth is 10 times the width
of the rib at its smallest width. CNC cutting tool lengths (and
therefore rib depths) are limited by this.
Square Corners
- External square corners
impossible to CNC
- Inhibits the flow of plastic,
causing stress risers
Rounded Corners
- External square corners
impossible to CNC
- Inhibits the flow of plastic,
causing stress risers
The following chart provides a rule of thumb for rib depth with
1 degree per side of draft:
Rib Depth 0.5mm
0.75mm 1.0mm
1.5mm
2.0mm
Rib Width
7.5mm
25mm
36mm
3.5mm
15mm
Page 6
Sharp Corners
Warp
After the molten plastic has filled the tool cavity, the plastic
solidifies in the mold and freezes in a direction from the outside
of the part (near the mold surface) toward the inside.
In thick sections of the part, this results in inward pulling
stresses (due to the contraction of cooling), causing sink marks
in the outer surfaces of the part.
Because thinner areas of the part will freeze faster than thicker
sections, stresses can build up between thick and thin sections.
The result is a phenomenon called warp.
Rule of thumb to minimize warp: Design your parts to maintain
consistent wall thickness and avoid thick areas whenever possible.
Sufficient Draft
The existence of draft on vertical surfaces of your part enables
the easy removal of your part from the mold.
Draft is especially important in Rapid Injection Molding since
the molds are straight-pull only (i.e., no side actions) and
manufactured using a CNC-only process.
The rules of thumb governing the amount of draft required
(in degrees) will vary with geometry and surface texture
requirements. Lets put it this way the more draft, the better.
In some cases, using a glass-filled material will help avoid sink in
geometries when adhering to the rule of thumb is impossible.
Page 7
Gating
Resin Selection
Page 8
Impact
Resistance
Change to
Stiffness
Delrin
Medium
Medium
36 x 36 x 15
Nylon 6/6
Zytel
Medium
High
No geometry limits
Zytel
High
Medium
Any commercially
available material
Polypropylene (PP)
Marlex, Sumika
Low
High
No volume limit
Polycarbonate (PC)
Lexan
Medium
High
No limit
Acetal
Acrylonitrile Butadiene
Styrene (ABS)
Cycolac
Med-Low
High
Draft required in
CAD model
Cycoloy
Medium
High
Tighter tolerances
are possible
Polyetherimide (PEI)
Ultem
High
Medium
Polyetherimide,
fiber reinforced (PEI)
Ultem
Very High
Medium
Yes
Polybutylene
Terephthalate (PBT)
Valox
Medium
High
No manufacturing
limits, tooling per
customer specs
Polystyrene
Styron
Med-Low
Low
Thermoplastic Elastomer
Thermoplastic Polyurethane,
Santoprene
Low
High
Notes: This list is not comprehensive, nor is it constant. There are many other resins not listed here. Ask your Quickparts tooling
manager for material selections that are currently available.
In order to avoid project delays due to material availability, we limit material selection in Rapid Injection Molding to the material
we have on hand at the time your quote is created. Your quote worksheet will present you with the currently available materials.
When your project requires a specific engineered material, it becomes either a Low-Volume Injection Molding or Production
Injection Molding project. Virtually any injection moldable material can be specified, as we will source the material per
your requirements.
Page 9
Texturing
Since bead blasting is a line-of-sight method, it may not be
possible to texture the sides of minimally drafted ribs on a
part, as the mold surfaces may be inaccessible.
Also, texturing has an adverse effect on the ability of the part
to release from the mold. Drag marks may result.
Therefore, we recommend that texture be specified only on
areas of the part that are drafted at least 3 degrees.
Polishing
We use manual mold polishing methods to apply the SPI-A3
finish.
Since there is not significant automation in this process, you
should expect a significant cost increase, as it is labor intensive
and time consuming to polish deep, narrow slots in molds.
Polishing is time intensive and may also affect the lead time for
your parts.
In both Low-Volume Injection Molding and Production
Injection Molding, any surface finish can be produced,
including acid-etched finish.
Page 10
Lead Time
Process
15 20 days
4-6 weeks
4 weeks
Lead times can change based on current factory load. Call your Quickparts Tooling Manager at 1.877.521.8683 to discuss your
specific lead time requirements.
3D Systems Corporation | Quickparts Solutions | 301 Perimeter Center North, Suite 400 | Atlanta, GA 30346 | USA
Toll Free: +1 877.521.8683 | Tel: +1 770.901.3200 | quote@quickparts.com | www.3dsystems.com/quickparts
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